Enhanced traffic enforcement arrives on Valley Street in Maplewood
The Maplewood Police Department has announced that officers will be conducting enhanced traffic enforcement on Valley Street for the next two weeks and “periodically thereafter.”
Essex County recently lowered the speed limit on Valley from 35 mph to 25 mph after the Maplewood Township Committee voted to request the lower speed limit last October. Many drivers still have not gotten the message, noted Police Chief Robert J. Cimino.
A visit to Valley and Baker streets on Thursday, Oct. 2, proved Cimino’s point, as the majority of drivers observed in a 5-minute period drove faster the 25 mph speed limit.
Cimino said that the police department receives periodic complaints from the public about speeding and other traffic issues and the police traffic unit reviews those complaints. Recent complaints from nearby residents of Valley Street included distracted driving, speeding, red light violations, and failure to yield to pedestrians.
The announcement of the enforcement, said Cimino, is part of the process. “Most enforcement is a deterrent.”
A driver accelerates more slowly after the light changes at Valley and Baker.
The enhanced enforcement began Wednesday night, October 1. Locals may have noticed that a speed display sign has appeared on Valley facing southbound drivers just south of Baker Street. Cimino said that the sign may move around over the next two weeks.
“Hopefully we will reduce the number of violations,” said Cimino.
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